IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Dias, G.F. | |
| Testando limites interespec¡ficos entre _Leopardus pardalis_ e _L. wiedii_ na Amaz“nia | |
| 2013 Full Book | |
The ocelot (_Leopardus pardalis_) and the margay (_Leopardus wiedii_) are sister groups of Neotropical felids that evolved from a lineages that migrated to South America following the formation of the Isthmus of Panama 2-3 million years ago. Both species are widely distributed, and to a large extent occur sympatrically. These species are important ecological components of ecosystems, because they act as regulators of prey populations, however, are threatened with extinction, mainly due to the fragmentation of their habitats, hunting and road kills. Given that our knowledge of the evolutionary history of these species is scarse, and given that within the genus _Leopardus _hybridization events between some species have already been observed, we used eight microsatellite loci to assess the possible occurrence of hybridization and genetic introgression between _L. pardalis _and _L. wiedii _in the Amazon basin. Together with the microsatellite data, we also used the mitochondrial control region (d-loop) and the cytochrome B gene (cytB) to determine the distribution pattern of genetic variability and evaluating historical or physical barriers to gene flow among populations. Bayesian analysis provided clear evidence of the occurrence of hybridization between _L. pardalis _and _L. wiedii_, with a directional introgression from _L. wiedii _into _L. pardalis_. All hybrid individuals (n = 6) identified in this study are geographically restricted to the Beni Cerrado (northeast of Bolivia) an area characterized by the convergence of three different geographic areas (Amazon, Cerrado and Gran Chaco) and by flood dynamic during the rainy season. Phylogenetic analyzes of mitochondrial sequences obtained under the Maximum Likelihood criterion revealed the existence of four, well-supported, major lineages, two of _L. pardalis _(Lp1 and Lp2) and two of _L. wiedii _(Lw1 and Lw2), clearly supporting the hypothesis of rivers as barriers. The lineages Lp1 and Lw1 grouped north of the Amazon River and Lp2 and Lw2 to the south with few individuals of Lp2 and Lw2 also being found north. From these results it was concluded that within species exists distinct evolutionary units which must be maintained and managed as independent entities. |
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